Cooking in the fireplace

[Franci]

We have a small fireplace

We are thinking of cooking simple meals in it when it's going to be very cold outside.

Which tools you suggest? I was thinking of a Tuscan grill or a small yakitori grill to place inside. Or simply coals and a cast iron skillet.

Edited October 27, 2013 by Franci (log)

[Jaymes]

<sub>At one point, I did quite a bit of cooking in the fireplace. We had a hook that swung into it, and we could hang a pot on it. It would probably be pretty difficult for you to install a swinging hook, but there are tripod things with hooks for just that purpose.

Also, we had a basket-type gizmo for toasting chestnuts, etc, that I used for a great many things.</sub>

Amazon link - roaster

<sub>But the first thing I'd recommend you get is an authentic "Dutch oven," the sort that was actually used as an oven in fireplaces, and in open campfires.

It's got legs that you can sit right in the coals. And a flat top, so you can pile more coals on top and, indeed, use it just like an oven - bake breads, cakes, etc.

As well as the more obvious stews, soups, etc. You also can flip that flat top over and use it like a skillet or griddle.</sub>

Amazon Link

Edited October 27, 2013 by heidih (log)

[Martin Fisher]

We cooked in a fireplace all winter long when I was growing up.

The Tuscan grill, Dutch oven and the popcorn basket are all good to have.

We also used pie irons very frequently.

There are many things that can be prepared with a pie iron and the like.

Mountain pies and stuffed French toast were big favorites.

[gfweb]

We have a big old house with a kitchen fireplace that we cook in occasionally. The big trick is regulating the heat, usually by varying the distance from the flame. In a small FP this could be tough, esp if you don't have a big supply of small sticks to add to keep a fire at a certain intensity. I would probably have a trio of large-ish split firewood burning and a rack to support a dutch oven or cast iron pan about 2" above the wood. Heat intensity can be varied to a degree by adjusting the proximity of the logs.

Walter Staib, who runs a colonial restaurant in Philadelphia has a weekly TV show on PBS that is all about cooking on a wood fire. I'd check it out on Hulu for tips. Cool show.

[gfweb]

Here's his website http://atasteofhistory.org/chef-walter-staib/

[weinoo]

I thought about the Tuscan grill for our apartment in DC, which has a small wood-burning fireplace.

Then I decided that it would make such a bloody mess that it would be aggravating.

Edited October 28, 2013 by weinoo (log)

[annabelle]

I had to cook in our fireplace a few winters back when ice storms took out our electricity for two weeks. I have a large set of cast iron cookware, such as Jaymes described and used it for stews, bread and a cast iron kettle for coffee and tea. It was an adventure and not one I care to repeat anytime soon.

[Jaymes]

I had to cook in our fireplace a few winters back when ice storms took out our electricity for two weeks. I have a large set of cast iron cookware, such as Jaymes described and used it for stews, bread and a cast iron kettle for coffee and tea. It was an adventure and not one I care to repeat anytime soon.

We were living only a few miles down the highway from you when that ice storm hit and we, too, were forced to cook in our fireplace for a couple of weeks.

Funny what a difference it makes when you're forced to do it because you have no electricity anywhere else in the house.

As opposed to doing it because it's kind of an occasional fun thing.

[liuzhou]

I have a strong memory of my parents cooking dinner over the fire in a Scottish winter. I don't think it was lack of power that prompted it. More likely lack of money to heat the house and cook.

Yes, we had the hook (where the kettle lived) and a sort of grill rack.

I'm sure it's probably rose tinted sentimentality, but somehow, it seems the food tasted better.

[Martin Fisher]

.....it seems the food tasted better.

I also think that the food tastes better.....we had a fireplace and a wood-burning cookstove when I was growing up.

I also had a wood burning cookstove and a scratch-made wood-fired earthen oven when I lived off-grid for many years.

I very much miss it all and I'll return to it some day.

A fireplace rotisserie is another great device to have.

There's also the low-tech version which I like...it's simply spinning various morsels on a string (wet the string to keep it from burning.)

Here's a video on YouTube (not mine).........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dSxB6RgiFs

Jean-Louis Palladin roasts magret on a string.

From Julia Child's show "Cooking with Master Chefs."

Starting at about 19:40....

http://video.pbs.org/video/2256986761/

Edited October 28, 2013 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[Franci]

Great ideas. I am thinking of a lot food on the string now!

[annabelle]

Jaymes, I will tell you I came away from that ice storm experience with new found respect for my pioneering great-grandmothers.

[HungryC]

A cast iron dutch oven with feet (a "spider") or a grate to elevate a non-cast-iron pot would be helpful. Lodge makes a cast iron dutch oven whose lid has a raised rim, which allows you to put coals directly atop the lid so you can get oven-like heat inside the pot. Such a pot makes it easy to bake biscuits, cornbread, etc. William Rubel's "The Magic of Fire" has many recipes and tips for hearth cooking: http://www.amazon.com/The-Magic-Fire-Fireplace-Campfire/dp/1580084532/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1382976150&sr=8-2&keywords=open+hearth+cooking

One thing I would think about is your fireplace's depth: if it is a relatively shallow hearth, you want to protect nearby floor & mantle from grease and spatters. Maybe some aluminum foil tacked or taped to sensitive areas? I'd hate to scrub greasy spatters out of a lovely carved white marble mantlepiece.

[Jaymes]

Franci - I see you are in Monaco, but don't know if you are a Monegasque or an American ex-pat (among many possibilities), so don't know if you are familiar with the quintessential American "cooking over fire" dessert: S'mores.

Even when we're not doing a lot of cooking in our fireplace, making S'mores is a common winter treat for all the kids and grandkids.

If you are an American, I have no doubt you're more than familiar with them, so forgive me for stating the obvious. But if you are European, there's a chance you don't know about them.

I know there are places on this planet where you can't get graham crackers but, if Monaco is one such, you can make them, or substitute some other kind of cookie. We've done it with oatmeal cookies to grand acclaim.

It might be a good place to begin your fireplace cooking experiments:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-S%27more

Edited October 28, 2013 by Jaymes (log)

[dcarch]

Be careful how you cook your food using a fireplace. You have to know where you wood is from. Many wood come from places where they use a lot of chemical sprays.

Roasting in front of a fireplace is done all by infrared radiation and it can take many hours depending on what is being roasted. I would think if you use shiny aluminum foil on a board to serve as a reflector, you can get much better roasting and faster. Aluminum reflects 95% of radiation.

dcarch

[Franci]

Dcarch, very good point about the wood!

Jaymes, I realized I didn't update my profile, I've recently moved to the States. I lived here in the past but being European I've never had a S'more. I never liked marshmallows but Maybe it's an experience I should not miss.

And I'm thinking of a few things I'd love to cook in the fireplace

http://www.gennarino.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3958&highlight=capuzzelle

It's a friend posting on an Italian forum. I would like to find a similar "brazier" to use with terra cotta cazuelas and tagines.

In the picture of the link posted there is also an earth ware jar, that is traditionally used for cooking legumes in the fireplace.

[HungryC]

Any decent camping store can help you find a metal brazier similar to the one pictured.

Another fun hearth cooking tool is a pie/pocket sandwich iron: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Outdoor-Cooking/Camp-Cookware%7C/pc/104795280/c/104754780/sc/104247180/Camp-Chef-Pie-Irons/732563.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fcamp-cookware%2F_%2FN-1100714%2FNo-48%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104247180%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104795280%253Bcat104754780%26WTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNP%26recordsPerPage%3D48&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104795280%3Bcat104754780%3Bcat104247180

[Jaymes]

Jaymes, I realized I didn't update my profile, I've recently moved to the States. I lived here in the past but being European I've never had a S'more. I never liked marshmallows but Maybe it's an experience I should not miss.

Well, I think it's an experience you should not miss. If for no other reason than it's so universally American. And, when in Rome......

As for the marshmallow thing - the chocolate and graham cracker taste definitely combine with the marshmallow to become the strongest part of the flavor profile.

I'm not that wild about marshmallows by themselves.

But I sure do love me some S'mores!

[gfweb]

You haven't had the full US experience if you haven't burned your tongue on a stick-toasted marshmallow.

[annabelle]

The children will enjoy toasting the marshmallows, Franci. It's a right of passage to toast a marshmallow without it bursting into flame.

[Franci]

I'm sure the children would love it. Next time I'll get some good wood and go for S'mores :-)

[judiu]

Franci, that earthern ware jar is called a beanpot. (Not surprisingly! )

[janeer]

During the blizzard of '78, after using a hibachi for a bit we discovered there was nothing better than a long toasting fork right over the fire for everything fro hot dogs to bread to marshmallows

[Bojana]

I have fond childhood memories of potatoes, wrapped in alu foil and baked in fireplace. This would work for many types og vegetables, and tastes even better with a bit of ashes on.

[boilsover]

Hi, Francie:

Your fireplace looks perfect for a tournebroche with a lechefrite under it, like this: http://www.ebay.fr/itm/LECHEFRITE-CUIVRE-ETAME-63-X-31-5CM-LECHE-FRITE-POUR-TOURNE-BROCHE-PLAT-A-JUS-/221335087311?pt=FR_JG_Art_Objets_XIX&hash=item33889968cf You will need a second grate--you stand them on edge several inches apart, and fill the space between them with burning pieces of wood.

If your hearth is deep or wide enough, a Tuscan grill or a "camp" Dutch oven work well-- you must rake/scoop the coals out of an active fire to use them effectively.

Have Fun!

Edited December 19, 2013 by boilsover (log)